Canadian
Institute of Geomatics Futures Dialogue 2005, Ottawa

The 98th Annual CIG Conference “Geomatics Empowering the Future,” held in Ottawa
in June 2005, provided the appropriate opportunity to launch the
first Futures Dialogue.

The theme of the discussion was set by Jack
Smith, Director of Science and Technology Foresight, Office of the
National Science Advisor, PCO, with a keynote address on S&T Foresight & Geomatics: Enabling New Tools for Policy Futures. A multi-stakeholder panel
was composed of Terry Tarle (Vice-President, Sierra Systems); Bob
Moses, (President, PCI geomatics); Keith Thompson (past Scientific
Director of GEOIDE); Jeff Labonte (Director General, Data Management
and Dissemination Branch , NRCan); and Brian Maloney (Surveyor General
of Ontario).

The Questions the futures panel addressed What long
term strategic foresights will keep our community at the leading
edge of innovation and application? What barriers will have to be
overcome? What unique opportunities exist for partnerships, alliances,
education, and integration of technologies?

The Future’s Panel presents
a multi-stakeholder and multi-technology foresight of the Future. The panel used a simplified version of strategic architecture
to map their visions of the future and explored strategies how
to get there.

Some of the observations:

Increasing rate , acceleration of change

The emergence
of good governance as strategic intent reflects the higher value-added
products and services
form geomatics.

A change in management approach from managing
core competencies to managing for good governance
and good practice. This in itself
is already reflected in issue management
and response approaches and the emergence of distinct communities
of practice.

The market becoming the major
driver of geomatics rather than government.

Significant changes
in the profession and business environment; the need for expanding
the profession and new partnership and coalitions

Geomatics
tools and technologies expanding faster across society than the
profession and the business segment can
adapt.

Best practice or next practice? best practice today reflects
the optimum convergence of technologies and
practice of the past. The accelerated rate of change requires
focus on
developing and
implementing “next” practices now.